[T]he hospitals where this resistance factor was identified were what is called “community” hospitals, that is, not academic referral centers. That’s an important distinction, because academic medical centers tend to be where the most cutting-edge care is performed, and where the sickest people are. As a result, they are where last-resort antibiotics are used the most, and therefore where resistance is most likely to emerge. That CRE was found so widely not in academic centers, but rather in community hospitals, is a signal that it is probably moving through what medicine calls “the community,” which is to say, anywhere outside healthcare. Or, you know, everyday life.

The prevalence of CRE seems to be growing, says McKenna, reporting on a new study. From 2008 to 2012, in the American southeast, the rate of detection of the bacteria increased five-fold. Most of these cases (288 of 305, or 94 percent) were connected to hospital visits, but some weren't. Some of this five-fold increase is attributable to better detection methods, the scientists say, but some of it is a sign that these antibiotic-resistant bacteria are taking hold.

Tags

About Colin Schultz

Colin Schultz is a freelance science writer and editor based in Toronto, Canada. He blogs for Smart News and contributes to the American Geophysical Union. He has a B.Sc. in physical science and philosophy, and a M.A. in journalism.